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Wasp/yellow jackets

on 5 acres of land with a large pool.....wasps/yellow jackets are taking over the pool!! they come in waves ALL DAY LONG. 10-20 at a time....have tried everything and yes, tried to find the nest(s). any solutions??

Re: Wasp/yellow jackets

It's ok to put borates in a bbb pool? If so, what do I put in the pool to add borates and how do I figure out how much? How will it effect other readings and how do I test for borates to stay on top of it? On 10 acres and can't possibly keep up with all the nests.

Just bought a new house in the country, no pool yet. :(
Hot tub..500 gals..bromine
TF100 test kit and speedstir

Re: Wasp/yellow jackets

1) Marigolds. Wasps aren't fond of the smell. A couple of marigold pots near the steps or ladder help a bit.

2) These wasp traps have worked exceptionally well for us, using apple cider as the bait. We've found them at Aldi for half the price shown on that page.

3) Drowning them. Wasps can't swim, and are surprisingly prone to drowning. Just splashing them with water from the pool a couple of quick times tends to knock them deep enough into the water they can't fly out. "Escort" them over to the nearest skimmer, viola. You'll also find that they don't seem to take being splashed by water as an aggressive act. I've not yet had one turn on us or the kids (and believe me...I'm attentive to it, as I and the wife are both allergic), but instead they simply fly away if they escape the splash.

4) Bleach water. We keep a pressurized spray pump (Bought at Big Lots for $2) filled with a 50% mixture of bleach and water. It knocks them off of stairs, handrails, etc, and down into the water (see #3 above) without introducing anything scary to the pool. If you have a wood deck, might want to check for discoloration if you're concerned about such things.

It takes a while, and you need to be pretty diligent about going after them when they're there, and changing the traps and such, but all these steps work surprisingly well. it even appears, at our pool at least, to have "sunk in", and reduced the number we're seeing overall.

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As for the borates, you can view this thread to answer your questions.

-GordonPool School helps me maintain my 13,500G 24' x 48" ASP with Sand Filtration using a TF100 Test Kit and Pool Calculator.
Remember, the Shock Process should be followed until : 1. CC is less than 0.5 ppm, 2. An OCLT shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less and, 3. The water is crystal clear.
--I didn't buy my pool to swim in it. I bought my pool to watch my wife swim in it. :wink:

Re: Wasp/yellow jackets

I know this is an old thread. but I had the same issue as the OP. Paper wasps would literally run us out our pool. We would look out the window and see the wasps enjoying our pool more than us.

Then I found a product called Viper. Purchased it on amazon. Our Wasp problem reduced by about 97%. We still get the occasional one or 2 fly by. But nothing like before. We used to go through 4-5 cans of wasp spray a week, which can get pretty costly.

Ive been using this products for 2 summers now. It works miracles. It does not kill wasps on contact. But it does keep them away. My initial experience was that I applied it, and thought it didnt work. But about a week later, we saw very little wasps. So every 2 or 3 months I do an applications, and my backyard continues to stay wasp free. Hope this helps anyone looking to take their pool back!

Good Luck!

The stuff is strong and it works. Read the reviews on it. This stuff saved my pool experience.

Re: Wasp/yellow jackets

I know this is an old thread. but I had the same issue as the OP. Paper wasps would literally run us out our pool. We would look out the window and see the wasps enjoying our pool more than us.

Then I found a product called Viper. Purchased it on amazon. Our Wasp problem reduced by about 97%. We still get the occasional one or 2 fly by. But nothing like before. We used to go through 4-5 cans of wasp spray a week, which can get pretty costly.

Ive been using this products for 2 summers now. It works miracles. It does not kill wasps on contact. But it does keep them away. My initial experience was that I applied it, and thought it didnt work. But about a week later, we saw very little wasps. So every 2 or 3 months I do an applications, and my backyard continues to stay wasp free. Hope this helps anyone looking to take their pool back!

Good Luck!

The stuff is strong and it works. Read the reviews on it. This stuff saved my pool experience.